Al Jardine Is A Beach Boy Once Again

11/12/03 4:00pm

Earlier this year we told you that founding Beach Boys member Al Jardine had been sued by fellow Beach Boy Mike Love and barred from using the Beach Boys name.

Jardine has now sued back, winning an appeal. Jardine won't see any money from Love just yet, but he will once again be able to publicly call himself a Beach Boy. In 2001, Love launched a lawsuit against Jardine, asking the court to prohibit his former bandmate from touring under any form of the Beach Boys name.

That meant that Jardine, who along with lead Beach Boy Brian Wilson's daughters had been touring as Beach Boys Family & Friends, could no longer even bill himself as "Al Jardine of The Beach Boys."

The trouble started in 1998 when Beach Boy Carl Wilson died of cancer. After the youngest Wilson brother's death, Love became the sole licensee permitted to use the Beach Boys name — not even Brian Wilson himself is allowed to bill himself as a former Beach Boy.

Jardine believes that his inability to use the Beach Boys tag has cost him many an audience member over the years and, in turn, a whole lotta money. Jardine and Love are hardly at the point where they can kiss and make up, though. On October 29 a court ruled that Love could not stop Jardine from calling himself a Beach Boy, but now Jardine wants some cash.

The musician told Billboard.com that he plans to seek "tens of millions of dollars." The case should hit the California courts in the middle part of next year.